Hope & Memories
by Kircheis
Summary: Aqua is trapped in the darkness after saving Terra, she thinks everything is pointless now but then Aqua realises that there is always a flicker of light, even in the deepest of darkness. ONE SHOT.


**Hope & Memories**

Aqua sat down and stared into the distance sadly. She was trapped within the Realm of Darkness and she had a feeling that she may never get back to her world. Aqua sighed and began to reminisce the fun times she had with Terra and Ven before everything changed, she wanted to build a time machine and go back in time to warn her past self about what was going to happen and to treasure the time she spent with Terra and Ven more.

"I... may never see them again," Aqua said morosely to herself with tears in her eyes. Terra was gone and Ven was asleep, no one knew she was there. Even though they helped her earlier, they were probably gone now. She mourned the loss of her friends and old life.

Aqua materialised her Keyblade to her hand and gazed at it absent-mindedly. Except, it wasn't her Keyblade, it was Master Eraqus's Keyblade, she had lost hers after she gave it to Terra to get him out of the Realm of Darkness. "So much for Master Aqua." Suddenly, overwhelmed with anger, she threw her Keyblade into the corner and hoped it would tell her something or at least give her a sign. Anything.

She realised what she had just done and travelled to the corner where her Keyblade had fallen, "of course not." Aqua picked up the blade and then wiped it with the sleeve of her shirt carefully, "you're just a simple sword after all; a simple sword shaped like a key."

Aqua noticed she was sitting down in the sand, it looked hopeless for her, and yet she finally noticed where she was. The scene was breathtaking as it was a sight that no one had probably had experienced before and she was the first one. Of course, she couldn't be happy. It was impossible. She watched the waves rush over the beach and then disappear back into the water; it was very interesting to watch as Aqua didn't have much to do.

The girl sighed once again. "Terra and Ven would have liked this." Aqua noted hopelessly and then drew into herself. "I really miss them. Will I ever see them again? I doubt it." She answered her own question in an annoyed tone of voice. "If they saw me like this, I'd be so embarrassed."

Aqua laid down on the sand and looked up at the sky, or, at least, what she thought was the sky. "Ugh. I'm so stupid."

The blue haired girl decided it was pointless in thinking further and beating herself up so she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. "I wonder if they're alright... Okay, I really should stop thinking about this... I mean, of course their not alright! The darkness overcame Terra and Ven needs me. I should be helping them right now and I'm stuck in here. It's not fair!"

Aqua stood up again and tapped her foot impatiently.

A few minutes passed and Aqua still continued the act.

"I think I've officially gone mad." She declared and began pacing around in circles, "just, what the hell am I waiting for anyway? Someone to come and rescue me? A knight in shining armour, perhaps? I don't care who it is, just come here and get me off this godforsaken world!"

As expected, nothing answered her. There was only silence, of course Aqua was frustrated at her plight; it was obvious no one was coming to get her so she decided to do the only thing she could do at that moment. And that was to wait. She wanted to wait for someone.

A few hours passed, at least, the girl guessed a couple of hours had passed, she wasn't really paying attention and time seemed to move slower there. "I wonder why...? It feels as though I haven't been here for a while but something tells me I've been here for a long time, years even. Time must pass differently here. "

Aqua stood up with her arms crossed, "I need to get back."

She looked dispiritedly at her feet with her arms still crossed. "Come on, Aqua, think! Think! What would I usually do in a situation like this? Well, I've never been in a situation like this really, but, if I were myself, what would I do?"

The blue haired girl stood there unmoving and deep in thought until a eureka moment finally hit her, "that's it! That's it! If I were myself, I wouldn't sit tight here and wait for someone to rescue me, I would be trying to escape by myself!" Aqua was finally enlightened by her thoughts and decided she should find a way out of this place on her own, without help.

She walked over to the far corner of the beach and looked out to sea; all she could see for miles was nothingness. Only nothing. Perhaps this world she was in was made of just that, simply nothing. Aqua did step into the Realm of Darkness after all. "It's a bit weird that there's nothing out there. Oh well, it looks as though I won't be able to swim back,"

She decided that she'd might as well go back in the direction where she travelled, maybe there would be a way back from there.

The blue haired girl continued her walk through the eerie Realm of Darkness without stopping. She kept on going and going and going.

After a while, she realised she needed a break so she sat down on a nearby rock. "I should be getting out soon. Just a bit further." She sighed to herself and closed her eyes.

"Don't give up, Aqua!" She heard a familiar voice from behind her, and turned around, she was very surprised.

"Ven?" She asked hopefully as she turned around. But to her despair, there was nothing there. "But I definitely heard him. I definitely heard Ven!" She called out, hoping Ven would reveal himself from behind one of the many rocks in the area. Her head fell, "maybe I was just imagining things."

"Don't worry, Aqua! You're not going crazy." The same voice replied to her. The same voice as Ven's.

"Okay, you can stop now. This isn't funny, you know!" She knew Ven wasn't there really, it was someone playing a horrible trick on her, either that or she was hallucinating. "Ven, is it really you?" She dared to asked.

"Of course it's me, Aqua. Who else could it be? Ha ha." The voice answered her and revealed himself.

It really was Ven after all. But it wasn't him at the same time.

"No, it can't be. How can you be here? I left you at the Land of Departure, you just can't be here." Aqua really couldn't believe her eyes.

"Well, you're kinda right, in a way. I'm here, but I'm not here." He replied.

"That... makes no sense," she said to the 'Ven' that was currently standing in front of her, "that sounds exactly like something Ven would say, he can't really explain complicated things that well."

"Exactly." The 'Ven' confirmed. "Have Terra and I never told you? Just in case we haven't told you, I'll tell you something important now. Ya know, Aqua? Terra and I... we'll always be right here when you need us!" Of course, that 'here' 'Ven' was referring to was Aqua's heart as he pointed to his own.

"Thanks," Aqua said while smiling, "now that's something Ven would say.

'Ven' laughed at her comment, "no problem! Glad to see you finally smiling, Aqua. Things may seem bad now but they'll get better before you know it!"

"You always know how to cheer me up, Ven. That goes for Terra too." Aqua said sincerely, it was true, Ven always knew how to cheer them up.

"Well, I can't stay here forever," 'Ven' suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked, worried.

"What I mean is that you're on your own now. Sorry." He quickly added.

"Oh." Aqua said simply in a disappointed tone of voice.

"No need to look so sad!" He smiled as he walked back in the direction from whence he came, "good luck. And remember, Terra and I, we are always in your-"

"My heart," she interrupted, "you're so predictable, Ven. But I know. I now realise that you and Terra have always been in my heart and always will be from now on until the end of time."

"Well, goodbye then. See you again someday." That was the last thing 'Ven' said to Aqua before slowly disappearing into nothingness.

An illusion? Aqua questioned to herself but decided against it otherwise. "No, it was Ven. Illusion, an hallucination or my imagination; it was still Ven. The way I remember him."

The lost girl decided that it would be pointless to continue and ponder there so it would be a better idea for her to carry on her journey alone, no, with her friend's help, out of the Realm of Darkness.

A few hours later, Aqua discovered the beach she was on just moments earlier, "huh? What? I was just here... I must have been walking around in circles, oh no! Just how long have I been doing this?"

She could have sworn she saw someone sitting on a rock in the distance, Aqua squinted her eyes to get a closer look at whoever was sitting there.

Aqua gasped at what she saw. It was a man. The blue haired girl guessed it was a man because of his build, he also appeared to be wearing a cloak; she was determined to run over there immediately.

As soon as she was at the man's side, he looked at her.

"Who, who are you?" She asked the man, clearly shocked that there was anyone there in the first place. She wasn't the only one here. "In the long time I've been here, you're the only one I've seen in this place."

"Well, I can tell you that this is my second time on these shores, but unfortunately, much like the first, I do not remember who I am or whence I came. Everything was washed away in whatever currents carried me here." The cloaked man explained to Aqua in a solemn tone of voice.

"That's too bad," Aqua replied, "I know I've been here a long time. Wandering through the endless hours, unable to escape."

"You wish to return to your own world?" The man asked curiously.

"Yes. My friends are there, waiting for me, I promised I'd be there for them. I have to return." answered Aqua. "I just wish I knew how."

The man smiled a little underneath his hood, "I hope you'll be able to reunite with them soon."

Aqua smiled as well, for the first time in a while, "yes, I hope so as well. It's because of them I realised that I'm not alone here, they gave me hope, and without that hope, I would have given up trying to escape long ago."

"It's strange," the man started, "you remind me of a boy I once knew. Just like you, true to his friends. This boy travels to many worlds and fights to keep the light safe."

"Keep the light safe?" Aqua wondered. "Wait, just how long have I been gone? Did something happen out there?"

"Yes," the cloaked man answered simply, "they nearly fell to darkness more than once. Each time, that boy arrived with a Keyblade at hand to save everyone that needed his help."

"Huh? Wait a sec! Is this boy's name Terra or Ven?" Aqua asked hopefully.

Unfortunately to Aqua's dismay, he shook his head sadly. "Neither of those, I'm afraid."

Aqua stared at the ground sadly. "I should have known. Of course it couldn't be them."

"It must have been at least a year since I met him, perhaps more. Back then, my heart was clouded with vengeance, I did terrible things. Both to him and his friends. I brought unhappiness to more lives than one, I felt that something must be done. I wonder why? While the boy slept his long sleep, I hid the results of my research inside him, transferring the data to the best place where I thought it might serve its purpose. In fact, I would like to believe. Maybe he can set things right. A boy like him who touches so many hearts. He could save all those lives that I managed to ruin. So many people are waiting for their new beginning; their Birth by Sleep. Even me," he turned his gaze to Aqua meaningfully, " and even you."

"What's this boy's name?" Aqua needed to know.

"His name is..." The man paused as he was just about to speak the name of the boy that could be so many people's salvation, "...Sora."

Aqua suddenly felt a tear run down her cheek and she wondered why. Perhaps it was because hearing the boy's name filled her heart full of hope. He would be able to save everyone; including Terra and Ven, even her. "Sora." She repeated, her emotions showed through her voice. She knew that so many people had hope for this boy called Sora, even though she didn't know him, she knew he could do it.

I believe in you Sora, she thought as she walked away from the cloaked man. They didn't speak words of farewell as they knew they would meet again someday, and hopefully, that day would be when light is returned to all the worlds and she is reunited with Terra and Ven again. She would have to thank him some day.

Aqua clutched the Wayfinder she had in her pocket as she walked. Her mind travelled back to that day. The day when she handed the two Wayfinders she made for them while she kept the third.

The name "Wayfinder" was definitely a significant title as Aqua, Terra and Ven would always find their way back to each other. No matter what.

She looked up at the starless sky, smiling. "Terra, Ven," she spoke, "you don't have to worry anymore. Sora's coming. He's coming to save us and so many people that have fallen to the darkness, and then, we'll all see each other once again. Wouldn't that be great? Before I see you guys again, I'll probably still be in here for quite a long time; it doesn't bother me though because I'll be waiting. I'll be waiting until the day we can see each other again arrives, it'd be awesome! So don't worry, I'm coming home soon!" Aqua took a deep breath after shouting into the sky at Terra and Ven and then continued her journey through the Realm of Darkness but then looked up again and spoke only one sentence. It was a simple two words that explained so little but meant so much.

"Thank you."


End file.
